Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Packers Bitten. Frost Booted.

For months, the Ranter and Packer fans everywhere have been clammering to cut punter Derrick Frost like the extra, useless appendage he is. With a pathetic net average and minimal kicks inside the 20, it’s as though he was the reincarnation of the Ahmad Carroll as punter. Well the Packers have finally listened. On Monday, McCarthy announced that Derrick Frost would be released this week, saying “cleary it’s a performance issue.” You think?

Back in September when Jon “Big Red” Ryan was cut, fans were a little surprised. Yes, Ryan fumbled twice last year but overall he was a solid as a frozen cheese wheel and rarely botched a kick (Ryan’s 2007 net average was actually the best the Packers had in 38 years – no kidding). Surprise quickly turned into head-scratching when his replacement, Derrick Frost, was picked up after being released from the Redskins. But with lower stats in just about every punting category, Frost was looking like a serious downgrade.

Thompson calmed people down with some glowing reviews of Frost with regards to his consistency and amazing practices (yes, practices), so most Packer fans were willing to give TT the benefit of the doubt. He must know something we don’t. After all, he is a “genius” GM, right?

Hmmm, we might need to rethink that label (again).

Frost’s net average of 36.1 yards with the Packers was good for 26th in the NFL, and he was further at the bottom of the punter barrell for kicks inside the 20. (These numbers, by the way, mirror what he was doing with the Redskins before being cut in August.) Throughout the season, Franklin and I constantly asked, “We dropped Big Red for this guy?” It’s not our fault, Franklin.

And what about our castoff, Jon Ryan? How’s he doing this year with the Seahawks? Turns out Big Red is having a career year – a 46.4 average with 14 kicks inside the 20 and a league-leading 11 touchbacks. Sigh…

It’s normally hard to get worked up over a punter, but when you release a quality one for a lesser one for no apparent advantageous reason and it shows ... man, that's just embarrassing. I mean, how hard is it to pick up a decent punter? I’m not even talking about a Pro Bowler either, just give me middle-of-the-road, get ‘er done guy. But as long as we’re on the subject, let’s talk about Pro Bowl punters.

For the last two years, Bills punter Brian Moorman has been the starter for the Pro Bowl. With a good average and 30+ kicks inside the 20 each year, Moorman seems to do exactly what NFL punters should do. But he must make a lot of money, right? Wrong. In light of his Pro Bowl efforts, Moorman recently signed a deal worth 6 million over 7 years – that’s an average of $857,000 per year. Derrick Frost, scrub, made $605,000 this year and $850,000 last year. I will repeat: The best punter in the NFL (Moorman) made $857,000 last year and the worst punter in the NFL (Frost) made $850,000 last year. Yes, that’s right Ranter readers. There’s only a difference of 7 thousand dollars between the best and worst punters in the NFL! WTF!? Is this position really that hard to figure out, Thompson? Pay for the Pro Bowler (or at least a top 5 guy). It’s the cheapest starting salary on the team. It’s peace of mind. It’s common sense!

Say it with me: WE WANT MOORMAN! WE WANT MOORMAN! WE WANT MOORMAN!

This has got to be a priority in the offseason. Not top, but you know, definitely on the list and everything. The way things have gone, I wouldn't be shocked if they picked up BJ Sander.

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